From Amazon.com
By the time of The Language of Life, Everything but the Girl had reached a point in their career where they could get accomplished jazz musicians Joe Sample, Michael Brecker, and Stan Getz to play on their album and not have it perceived as an affectation: the duo had already made five albums that showcased Ben Watt's ability to write a classic melody and Tracey Thorn's silky vocals. In working with producer Tommy Lipuma, they made an album of superficially perfect love songs--beautiful tunes all, but overproduced to the point where the feelings behind them are only rarely glimpsed. There are some great songs, though--"The Road," "Driving," "Me and Bobby D," "Imagining America" are some of the best in EBTG's distinguished catalog--and they manage to make Language a worthy album despite the shortcomings. Check out EBTG's Acoustic for more nuanced versions of "Driving" and "Me and Bobby D." --Randy Silver
